Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-09-15
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MURDER WILL OUT.
A sad Tragedy at Peila--Let she Puns
Ishment Fit the Crime.

The State Register, Of the 9th. contains
the following correspondence from Pella:
This city has been greatly excited for sew
eral weeks over the death three weeks ago
from alleged poisoning of the wife
Of Mr, Vandeven, n prominent druggist,
aud gradually suspicion fastened on the
husband as being poisoner. The woman
was second wife, n Boston woman.
married to Nandeven ten years ago, Two
children were born to them. a son and u
daughter, and there were three children
of Vandeven's by q former marriage. The
new family were unhappy, and the wife
and husband frequently quarreled Mrs.
Vandeven had been In average good
health up TO this time. She was i'll In
her room after eating soup one day,
especially prepared for her. and went into
commissions aud died in few minutes, or
before the neighbors could be summoned
Little Marie, her fiye-year-old daughter,
who was present and who 10 the only one
who has tohi of the fated scene, says her
mother took three swallows Of the soup,
and then threw her head back. soon went
into spasins and never spoke afterwards.
| The neighboring women came In ut once
aud the husband soon arrived. When
the women. anxious TO do all they could,
and not knowing abe was dead. began TO
open her dress. the husband protested,
and said. shell take cold" but the wo
men opened the neck of the dress, and
| found her breast mass OF bruises Ply
sicians had come by this time, and ono OF
them. who had attended her, said tho
blisters were bruises from sunstroke."
The other doctors scoifed at the idea.
and tho women undressed the body and
| found Il covered with wolts and bruises.
| Several Of them were opened. and found
to DO an inch deep. This added proof
TO suspicion, and tho doctors took
the stomach OF the woman and some
Of the soup, and sent them to Iowa City
for analysis. They were returned In
few days with the statement that they
were filed with hemlock, one Of the dead.
lest of poisons. A coroner's jury was i'm.
panelled. and after pretty thorough OK.
animation, returned q verdict that the de.
ceased came to her death by poison In her
food. administered by the servant girl.
under direction Of the husband. Vandevcn
was bound over for trial and released on
81, 900 bail Tho principal witness was
Marie, the little child. Tho elder children
Of the family, girl Of twenty. and a young
man Of twenty five, had left home the
morning Of the death, the former going
to Ottumwa and the latter 10 Peoria on a
visit, Both OF them were unfricndly to
the step.mother.
Vandeyon Is u Holland Jew, over 80
years old, and has been In business In Pella
for many years. He Is member OF tho
Second Reformed church, and his wife was
u member Of the Baptist chnrch, He has
been pretty well regarded ns a business
| n. lal hak ht, 10
wife died under peculiar circumstances,
1t being whispered now that she
was poisoned. too. The feeling Is
has been much talk Of lynchlng. Mrs.
Vandeven was from Boston. and while
visiting her brother, Prof. Rhoads. then
IN tho College, now connected with the
public service ut Washington, became
acquainted with Vandevcn, resulting In
their marriage. She had been teacher
In the East before that. and was 10 highly
educated woman. with prominent rela'
tiyes in the East.
The theory Is that Vandeven hired the
servant girl to put the poison In the soup.
The woman had been known to DO
suffering hard fate. She frequently
expressed fear to her neighbors that she
would DO poisoned. and said she was
afraid to sleep In the house. She had
resolved to leave and return to her
people In the East. She had taught
school and secured the money to go on,
and had engaged school TO teach In the
East. But she was not allowed TO go.
Vandcvcn went 20 the Reformed Church
on the Sunday after the funeral but was
refused utilization, and told that his pres.
ence was never more desired.